L'Eau Commotion Westabout

10:00pm Saturday 19th May 2018. ( UTC-3 )
I was very pleased with myself as I completed quite a few jobs this morning - WindPilot Lines, running backstays, boom vang downhaul amongst them - and I cast off from my home at the FIC Jetty at 1:30pm, precisely the very last moment I was allowed, that being within the allowed 24 hours before being required to clear immigration again. I had arranged the lines so that they could be easily cast off and chugged out into the freshening North West breeze of about 20 knots. In order to hoist the main I headed into the breeze and engaged the autopilot. Press press press - no autopilot but a lot of strange messages I’ve not seen before. Nothing for it but to head to the public Jetty to the protestations of two fur seals “ sunning “ themselves on the low pontoon. A bit of an awkward time as I scavenged around for the neatly stowed mooring lines but did manage to lasso a bollard for a rather clumsy moor. Next thing Bob, Janet and Andrez popped by offering to help but I thanked them and set about clearing out the stores from the quarter berth where all the wiring is. Checked the voltage at the unit - a good 12.7 volts but no improvement. Went through all the set up procedures - still no go. I then tried factory reset, reprogrammed speed,rudder angle etc. and voila! a .response. Jason popped by in Speedwell offering help but as it all seemed good I restowed the stores, checked with Stanley Harbour Control - fine, called Immigration to admit overstaying my visa but as no immediate response felt I’d done the right thing and headed off at about 3:30pm. The breeze had become a little stronger so I only unfurled the inner staysail and travelled quite well at about 5 knots though I did motor into the wind dead on the nose through the Narrows on the perfectly behaved autopilot. I called departing the control line through Cape Pembroke just before 5pm, cleared Seal Rocks and headed South still with just the staysail. I then deployed my Watt & Sea hydrogenerator and immediately saw it was working. Since then it has been keeping the auto pilot, fridge, lights and instruments all up at 12.8 volts while travelling at about 5 1/2 knots which is a great relief after the scare with the autopilot which I will keep going through the night to forestall any wind change luring me onto a rocky shore. It’s now a 25 knot Northerly which may become stronger later on so I will wait till morning before considering any more sail. I’ve blocked off all the draughts so with a hotty it should be fairly comfortable night with a cabin temperature of 9C.